Page 30 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

I thought dreamily about that. “I would love to see a miniature version of you. Do you think he will have your eyes?”

“My hope is they would have your coloring. Your eyes are captivating.”

Aleric turned on the bed, then lay back, pulling me down on top of him. He was warm and comfortable and felt safe.

“Can we do this again later?” I asked sleepily. It had been a rough few months, and my alpha had just claimed me, completely relaxing my already tired body.

“We can do this as often as you wish. Rest, mate. You have had a rough time of it. Thank you for accepting me as your mate and alpha.”

I wanted to argue about how we had already had that very conversation before, but my body just would not cooperate. The long days of flying caught up with me, and I let myself drift off to sleep, safe in my alpha’s arms.

I dreamed the most delicious dreams. My alpha and I were in the cave, and he gave me his knot over and over, claiming me each time. I dreamed of my alpha feeding me bites of meat, something that was not fish for a change. He wiped me down with a cloth and kissed me all over, bringing me pleasure with his mouth just as often as he did his shaft and knot filling me.

My dreams were filled with heat, need, and my mate. Always my alpha there for me whenever I needed him.

I came awake slowly, trying to remember where I was. We were traveling to Aleric’s new home but had arrived… I opened my eyes. I was still in the cave. I remembered we’d arrived in the cave. It had been snowing heavily, and the wind was beating against us. I followed my alpha closely, his larger body protecting mine and providing a buffer against the weather. Then we dropped into the gorge, and the wind died. We flew through the waterfall and… I sat up and looked around the cave.

I was alone. Where had my alpha gone? I was on the bed, a blanket around me, but my mate was nowhere to be found.

“Aleric?” I called out but got no response. He wasn’t far. He would not leave me. Not after having flown across an ocean to find me because of a dream he’d had about me—something I now knew because of our bond.

I looked down at the blanket on me, recognizing it as the one we had curled up under on our trip. I tossed it to the side before turning on the bed, placing my feet on the stone floor. It was cool beneath me but not cold. The fire just inside the mouth of the cave was burning, telling me my alpha wasn’t far away.

“Aleric?” I said in my mind, thinking about my mate. My parents had talked about being able to communicate in their minds.

“Konrad?”

I grinned.

“Yes, Alpha.”

“You are awake. That is what felt different. I have fresh meat and will be back in just moments. Please don’t block the entrance of the cave.”

“I’ll be waiting, Alpha.”

My mate was hunting. He was a proven provider. He’d been thinking about me and had gone out to hunt for us. I had been so blessed by fate.

I heard a change in the sound of the water seconds before Aleric’s large form came through the mouth of the cave. He had a brown animal in his mouth, and when he dropped it just beside the fire, my eyes widened.

Most definitely a generous provider. I stood there, staring at my alpha as his scales turned to skin. Then he was walking toward me, concern in his expression.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as he reached me.

“You are awake.”

I looked around the cave, then back at my alpha. “Yes. I guess I was tired. I feel better though, although I am still a bit worn down, I believe. Is it morning already?”

Aleric’s eyebrows rose. “Konrad, my mate, you have been in heat for well over a week now. I was becoming a bit concerned.”

I felt my face flush. “A week?” I whispered. That meant the dream I’d had about Aleric and everything we had done most likely hadn’t been a dream after all but was my body in the fevered state of my heat caused by my alpha claiming me.

Aleric lifted my face to his. He leaned down, gently kissing my lips before he bent and swept me up into his arms.

“Yes, my treasure. Eleven days to be exact.” Aleric carried me deeper into the cave, away from the light the fire provided. I heard water falling before I saw it. I gasped at the beauty.

“Where is the light coming from?” I asked. In front of us was a pool of water that appeared to be fed by a small stream of water falling from above. I wouldn’t call it a waterfall, for it was no more than the width of my arm.

Aleric stepped down into the water, and I gasped at the warmth of it. I would have expected the water to be ice-cold, but it was pleasantly warm.